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Evidence of Lost Wax Casting

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People

Technically and visually the artworks of ancient Ife are among the most remarkable in the world, including near life-size heads and figures of humans. Dynasty and Divinity: Ife in Ancient Nigeria features the artistic accomplishments of this unique civilization in what is today southwestern Nigeria, and examines how factors of dynastic power and divine authority shaped the exceptional arts from Ife. In this video, conservator Richard McCoy discusses lost wax casting, and how certain markings on the heads show that the Yoruba used this method when they created the sculptures.